


Sunrise

by idreamofignoct



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, Just Married, Language, M/M, SEP era, gabe is secretly the softest of the soft, pre fall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 12:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13740549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idreamofignoct/pseuds/idreamofignoct
Summary: Gabriel Reyes balances the problems arising from his recon mission and his strong desire to return to Jack. Follow up toStay Alive





	Sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another scenario based on events in the RP with bester husbando!

Sunrise. As for what day it was, well, Gabriel Reyes had no idea. Hard to keep track when time consisted of long marches broken only by meals and snatching what minutes of sleep were available. If he was to judge time by the wear and tear of his clothes and his squad’s, he’d estimate months had passed. 

Gabe sat on a dilapidated chair, the only whole piece of furniture left on the porch of the old home they’d holed up in, his gaze locked on the horizon. Former CO of his always said that sunrise meant you lived to see another day. Made you appreciate what you had so you gave your all to see others could enjoy it, too. Emotionally stunted as he’d been in his early military days, Gabe only grasped half of that saying. Of course, this had been before a certain young man from Indiana entered the military. Had single handedly turned his life upside down just by being a part of it. By becoming _the_ most important part of it. 

Gabe had long mastered the ability to mask his true feelings. Yet in these spare moments of solitude, his vulnerability could not be more acute. So, as his gaze drifted to the horizon, his throat tightening, he did not see the colors of the dawn. He thought of golden blond hair, bright blue eyes, a warm smile. 

He ran his hand down the length of his face. Stared at his upturned palm, the platinum ring circling his finger. An all-too familiar ache twisted his heart. He clenched his fist.

Fuck, but he missed his Sunshine. 

Missed the way he laughed, the way he smelled, how good he felt in Gabe’s arms. Most of all, he missed how, with a few words, he could soothe Gabe’s hot temper, unravel the tangled mess of anxiousness and tension Gabe carried with him. The weeks they spent in Mexico had been the happiest, most peaceful of his life. This taste of domestic life, coupled with guaranteed privacy, enabled Gabe to drop every wall he’d created. Jack deserved all Gabe had to give. Jack was just that goddamn special. In the time since they’d parted, Gabe’s mouth and arms still tingling from the quiet ferocity of their embrace, he concluded life was pure hell when denied Jack Morrison by his side. Gabe wanted nothing more than to get back to him ASAP. 

First things first: complete this damn recon mission.

Movement at his back snapped Gabe back to the present. He glanced over his shoulder to find the comm officer hovering in the doorway. Like Gabe, he had the look of a man who hadn’t known comfort or rest in weeks.

“Status?” Gabe asked in brusque tones. 

“To put it bluntly, broken.” The man was simply too tired to salute. “Systems were heavily damaged in the blast. Scrounging up parts isn’t easy out here.”

Gabe frowned. It’d been three days since the unit was flushed from their base of operations thanks to a clumsy soldier triggering an old defense system. Of course the one thing they’d lose would be the comm. 

_“Send messages every chance you get,” echoed Jack’s emotionally-wrought request. “I don’t care how meaningless. It’s the only way I’ll know you’re okay.”_

Gabe kept his response to the memory behind a stony façade. “What about our earpieces? Can they be hardwired to a larger device?”

“Sure, if the damn thing wasn’t melted,” came the weary response. “All the backups are fried. Best bet is we find a satellite dish to send a signal. Where, though?” The comm officer gestured helplessly around. Nothing but desolate farm land surrounded them. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Gabe’s frown deepened. “That’s not good enough,” he snapped, rising to his feet and turning to face the other man. “We don’t have a lot of time before they decide we’re MIA.” As he spoke, his anxious mind produced a vision of Jack’s reaction to seeing Gabe’s name on a list, followed by those three, harrowing letters. “Figure out a way and do it fast. We’re not getting stranded here.”

The comm officer acknowledged him, then returned to the dark interior of the house, a hand at the back of his neck as he muttered, “Don’t know where we’ll find a working satellite…omnics trashed this place pretty bad.”

Gabe turned his attention to the sky once again. The sun vanished behind the clouds, and a shadowy chill took its place. Gabe felt it along his skin, how it sank into his bones. He folded his arms over his chest, but whether he did it to ward off the chill or somehow suppress the negative feelings now dragging at his heart, he didn’t question. Better not to. 

Though it took the better part of two days- two days where Gabe didn’t get any sleep- the recon scouts found a working satellite neighboring a farm. Not about to force his squad to march into unknown territory, Gabe only took the comm officer. He left his second in charge of fortifying the perimeter and strict orders to stay put.

They set out the following morning. His determination they succeed kept Gabe focused. Stayed with him at every omnic unit they came across. Gabe’s shotguns exploded with barely restrained fury. Damn these tin cans. There was no reasoning with a bunch of robots. It was either kill or be killed. The skirmishes wore him down, taxed what little patience he had over the delay. So when they finally passed through the ruins of a fence that once bordered the farm, Gabe’s only reaction to seeing the satellite in the distance was a curt nod. Fucking finally. 

Despite the scouts having canvased the place, Gabe took nothing at face value. He crouched beside the comm officer, gun resting on his shoulder as he gazed at the farmhouse, serene and quiet despite the broken omnic parts scattered all over. Tension made him a statue. Only the finger idly tapping his gun betrayed his impatience.

“How’s it look?” he asked, glancing at the comm officer.

“Security cameras on the house and emergency lights,” the man reported, lowering his binoculars. “Upstairs windows might be sniper nests. Probably should find a way around.”

Gabe studied the house. Signaling for the binoculars, which the soldier promptly handed over, Gabe peered through. An insignia affixed to the truck sitting in the driveway had him frown. He knew the company. They’d manufactured the comm equipment the military used. The equipment currently sitting in a pile back at their new base of operations.

“It wouldn’t do us any good,” he said, handing the binoculars back. “Whoever lives there most likely maintains the satellite. They’ll be the only way we can get access.” 

“What should we do then?” the officer asked. 

Gabe fell silent for a few moments, pondering the best course of action. Sneaking into the house might work, coerce whoever was in there to let them use the satellite. But between having so few men and the array of omnic parts laid out like a warning, Gabe knew it’d be suicide. 

A memory surfaced then, momentarily taking Gabe from his surroundings.

_“Ever try knocking first?” Jack asked after Gabe had blown a door open. They’d spent the past few hours clearing out a building. Though both were hungry, sweaty, and tired, Gabe couldn’t find it in him to be annoyed. Never with Jack._

_Gabe sent him an amused glance. “Think these things will just answer the door?”_

_“Well, no, not them. But the people inside might,” Jack said._

_Gabe laughed. “Right. The people occupying an evacuated building.” He shook his head as he kicked some debris aside. “Don’t know where you get these ideas from.”_

_But Jack didn’t smile when Gabe did. His expression was serious. “Remember that building from last night? Team I was on came across a unit past a collapsed section of the ceiling. We were going to move on, but I knocked on the door.”_

_Gabe scowled. That bit hadn’t made it into the report. “What the hell made you do that, Jack?” Worry and anger sharpened his tone._

_To this, Jack said, very simply, “Gut feeling. And I was right. Someone answered the door.” He smiled a bit then, not out of pride, but relief. “A family was hiding there. They’d managed to disable the omnics trying to kill them. Rigged its weaponry to the door. If we’d barged in, we would have been killed and I wouldn’t be here to tell you that sometimes it pays to just knock.”_

Despite the sharp command that if Jack was going to do something so risky, he’d better do it with backup fading into the recesses of his mind, Gabe smiled faintly. Time to take a page from his Sunshine’s book.

Gabe set his shotguns down. “I’m going in.”

Surprise etched itself onto the comm officer’s features. “They might shoot you before you get close. You sure you want to go unarmed?”

But Gabe was already removing the ordnance belts at his waist and around his chest. Dropped them beside his shotguns. Sent the other man a faint, wry grin. “I don’t know about you, but I’m too fucking tired to try and take this place by force. Just keep an eye out.” 

Though clearly disliking this course of action, the comm officer nodded. Gabe then set off across the open field. His every instinct screamed he was making himself an easy target, that this was the kind of recklessness he spent his military career avoiding. Jack had one hell of an effect on him. Gabe looked forward to sharing this bit of insanity with his husband- after they’d worn themselves out on each other, of course.

Gabe kept walking, hands over his head. Each step concluded meant the next may or may not result in getting gunned down. By the time Gabe reached the front porch, and no one had taken him out, he confidently tapped the door and waited. A tense moment passed. Then the echo of a clicking lock sounded, followed by the metallic rustle of a chain. When the door opened, revealing a man’s apprehensive face and the barrel of a gun, Gabe’s relief had him relax, but just barely. 

“Hey,” Gabe said, keeping his hands over his head. “Can we talk about using that satellite?”

A lengthy pause. The man peered past Gabe. “You alone?”

“No.” Gabe signaled with his finger. “He’ll come out, nice and slow. He’s a comm specialist.”

The man gave Gabe a double take and frowned. “Military then, are you? I don’t want any trouble.”

“No trouble. Just need the satellite.”

Another lengthy pause. Then the man lowered his gun. “I’ll let you in. Just you. And no promises.”

Gabe acknowledged the stipulation and followed him inside. 

The family had reservations. This was to be expected. They had seen their share of hardship. Mistrust of their intentions kept the tension high, and, as Gabe prepared to depart, inwardly fretting over what to do next, an older woman approached him.

“You have someone back home?” 

Gabe shot her a quick glance. She indicated his left hand. Gabe’s first instinct was to touch the ring, let the sharp edges of the black diamonds press into his fingertips. The memory of that day was just as sharp. 

The woman did not press him for more information. His silence said enough. Laying a gentle hand on his arm, she offered a small, sympathetic smile. “Use the satellite,” she said, ignoring her family’s protests. “Don’t keep your love waiting. Time on this world is short enough.” 

Gabe, understanding she spoke from experience, could only nod his thanks.

The comm officer was beyond excited at seeing Gabe had not been shot and they had been given access. The man who answered the door drove the two to the satellite, a silent but sullen observer as the comm officer went straight to work. Gabe assumed a stance beside him, arms crossed, his face neutral as he waited for the uplink to be established. When the familiar voice of the dispatcher sounded, Gabe shared a satisfied look with the comm officer. 

As the officer gave his report, Gabe, suddenly weary, leaned against one of the supports. His gaze drifted to the horizon. Nearly sunrise again. A memory of sunlight slanted across Jack’s face came to mind, unbidden but quite welcome, as was the sleepy smile resulting from Gabe caressing his cheek.

“Sir?” 

Drawn from the memory by the officer’s voice, Gabe met his gaze. 

He offered the earpiece to him. “CO wants to talk to you.”

Gabe took the earpiece. As he placed it in his ear, he noted the smile on the comm officer’s face before he took his leave. Gabe didn’t have long to ponder it, for the voice on the other end, familiar, cherished, seized his attention.

“Gabe.” Jack sounded tired but relieved, and Gabe’s heart turned over. God, but it felt like a hundred years had passed since Gabe last heard Jack say his name. Yet his reassuring response fled his mind when Jack spoke again, this time in anger and frustration. 

“96 hours. Dammit, Gabe, what the hell happened out there?”

Though sympathetic to Jack’s worry, discussing the mission was not a priority. Not when Gabe was happy as hell to hear Jack’s voice. “Read my report. I just spent the past 96 hours missing you.”

A brief silence followed. Then Jack made a small sound, possibly a sob. Hearing it made Gabe wish he had Jack in his arms. Damn, he wanted that so much. But the only reassurance he had was words.

“I’m all right, _cariño_ ,” Gabe said, his tone soft. “With the comm working again, we—"

“Just finish the job and get back here,” Jack said, his voice a low growl of command that brought a rush of heat to Gabe’s groin. 

Gabe smiled the slow smile he reserved only for Jack. He made sure Jack heard it in his response. 

“You got it.”

Once Jack disconnected, Gabe again lifted his gaze heavenward. The clouds had dissipated, revealing a sky as blue as his husband’s eyes, the rising sun reminiscent of the blond hair he loved so much. 

His pulse quickened.

Soon.


End file.
